Ottawa 67's explained

Team:Ottawa 67's
Colour:background:#FFFFFF; border-top:#C60C30 5px solid; border-bottom:black 5px solid;
Colour Text:black
Logosize:165px
City:Ottawa, Ontario
League:Ontario Hockey League
Conference:Eastern
Division:East
Founded:1967
Arena:TD Place Arena 1967–2012, 2014–present
Canadian Tire Centre 2012–2014, occasional home games
Colours:Red, white and black
Championships:
  • Memorial Cups: 2 (1984, 1999)
  • OHL championships: (1984, 2001)
Gm:James Boyd
Coach:Dave Cameron
Owner:Ottawa Sports and Entertainment Group

The Ottawa 67's are a major junior ice hockey team based in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, that plays in the Ontario Hockey League (OHL). Established during Canada's centennial year of 1967 and named in honour of this, the 67's currently play their home games at TD Place Arena. The 67's are three-time OHL champions, and have played in the Memorial Cup five times, winning in 1984 and as host team in 1999.

History

The Ontario Hockey Association granted the city of Ottawa an expansion franchise on February 16, 1967. Four months later, the team was given the nickname 67's, in honour of Canada's centennial year. Three local businessmen—Bill Cowley, Howard Darwin and Bill Touhey as well as Alderman Howard Henry—helped bring junior hockey back to Canada's capital.[1] The 67's filled the hockey void left by the departure of the junior Hull–Ottawa Canadiens and the semi-professional Hull-Ottawa Canadiens.[2] However, before the team played a game Touhey left the ownership group and Jack Kinsella became one of the owners in his stead.[1]

Bill Long was the team's first head coach. The 67's played their first game on October 6, 1967, losing 9–0 on the road to the Niagara Falls Flyers.[1] The first 11 home games of the season were played in the Hull Arena, Hull, Quebec, as their new home arena was still under construction.[3] They played their first game at their own arena, the Ottawa Civic Centre, on December 29, losing to the Montreal Junior Canadiens 4–2. The first season for the 67's was terrible at best, with the team posting a final record of six wins, 45 losses and three ties. They made the playoffs in their second season, but lost in the quarter-finals to the Niagara Falls Flyers.[1] They won their first playoff series over the Hamilton Red Wings in 1970–71, led by future Hockey Hall of Famer Denis Potvin on defence.[4] The 67's reached the OHA finals during the following season in 1971–72. They lost to the Peterborough Petes 3–0, with two ties. The 67's came close to playing at home in the Memorial Cup, as the Ottawa Civic Centre hosted the tournament that year.[5]

Brian Kilrea joins the 67's

Darwin announced in May 1972 that he would resign as team president in June 1972[6] and this was quickly followed by Bill Long's departure as general manager and head coach in June as well. Howard Henry was announced as the team's new president.[7] Leo Boivin was named as Long's successor as head coach of the 67's and Ross Tyrell as general manager on June 18.[8] After a rebuilding season in 1973–74, after which both Boivin and Tyrell were let go by the team after a surprise loss to the Peterborough Petes in the playoffs[9] the 67's hired a young up-and-coming coach named Brian Kilrea as both coach and general manager.[10] Kilrea coached the team to three successive improved winning records, culminating in a victory in the J. Ross Robertson Cup finals in 1977, versus the London Knights, who were coached by former 67's bench boss Bill Long. During the late 1970s, Ottawa was led by scoring champions Peter Lee, Bobby Smith and Jim Fox and future Hockey Hall of Fame defenceman Doug Wilson.[4] [11] [12]

The 67's moved on to compete for the 1977 Memorial Cup versus the champions of the other Canadian major junior leagues, the New Westminster Bruins of the Western Canada Hockey League, and the Sherbrooke Castors of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL). The 1977 Memorial Cup tournament was the first to be held in British Columbia and the first to use a double round-robin format. Ottawa lost the first game 7–6 to the Bruins, then won three in a row, 6–1 over the Castors, 4–3 in overtime versus the Bruins, and then 5–2 against Sherbrooke. However, Ottawa lost to the host Bruins 6–5 in the championship game. Bobby Smith and goaltender Pat Riggin were named to the tournament's all-star team.

Ottawa finished first in their division the following season, and were tipped to go all the way to the Memorial Cup tournament again, but struggled to finish off the Wayne Gretzky-led Soo Greyhounds in the first round[12] and lost to the rival Peterborough Petes in the semi-finals.[13] The 67's rebuilt during the 1978–79 season,[14] and returned to play for a second J. Ross Robertson Cup versus the Kitchener Rangers at the end of the 1981–82 season. They were swept by the Rangers, but that season marked the first of three consecutive division titles from 1982 to 1984.[15]

First Memorial Cup victory

In 1984, the 67's reached the OHL championship series in a rematch from the 1982 OHL finals, against the Kitchener Rangers. As the team with the most points in the league, Kitchener had been chosen to host the 1984 Memorial Cup tournament. In the OHL itself, however, Ottawa had unfinished business, having lost to Kitchener two years earlier. The 67's, who finished second overall to Kitchener in the OHL, defeated the Rangers and won their second J. Ross Robertson Cup and earned a place in the Memorial Cup tournament.[15]

At the Memorial Cup in Kitchener, Ottawa faced the Laval Voisins, featuring Mario Lemieux, of the QMJHL and the Kamloops Jr. Oilers of the now renamed Western Hockey League (WHL).[15] The 67's were led by Gary Roberts, Brad Shaw, and Bruce Cassidy. The 67's won against Laval and Kamloops before losing to Kitchener in the round-robin series. In the semi-final game, Ottawa beat Kamloops again and in the finals versus Kitchener, Ottawa scored a victory, winning their first Memorial Cup. Adam Creighton was named the tournament's most valuable player and goaltender Darren Pang was named the tournament's top goalie.[15] Creighton, Pang, Shaw, Cassidy, Jim Camazzola and Don McLaren of the 67's were all named to the tournament's all-star team. After the season ended, Kilrea left Ottawa to become an assistant coach in the National Hockey League (NHL) with the New York Islanders.[12]

Kilrea returns from the NHL

Cliff Stewart was hired to replace Kilrea in August 1984 as the 67's graduated many of their star players following their cup win.[16] [17] Stewart lasted until November, replacing him with Bob Ellett.[18] The rebuilding team suffered through two dismal seasons after winning the cup, finishing third-last in the OHL in 1985 and second-last in 1986.[15] Ellett resigned at the end of the season and Brian Kilrea, out of contract with the Islanders, returned for the 1986–87 season.[19] [20] The second Kilrea era was not as superb as his first coaching stint. The 67's finished as high as second place in their division two times, and reached the league's playoff semi-finals three times.[21] The highlight of this era was Andrew Cassels, the rookie of the year in 1986–87, and scoring champion in 1987–88.[22] Kilrea went into coaching retirement after the 1993–94 season, remaining as the general manager. For the 1994–95 season, the 67's were coached by former scoring champion Peter Lee.[23]

The third Kilrea era

Brian Kilrea came out of coaching retirement in 1995 and replaced Lee.[24] On June 10, 1998, Jeff Hunt purchased the team from Howard Darwin and Earl Montagano.[25] Kilrea was asked by Hunt to remain as coach for three more years, but would remain as coach until the end of the 2008–09 season,[24] retaining his duties as general manager until 2011. He was replaced by Chris Byrne, first as coach, then as general manager.[26] The Kilrea-coached 67's resurged to the top of the OHL, winning five consecutive east division titles from 1996 to 2000.[27] In 1996–97, Ottawa finished with the most points in the league with 104, however, lost in the finals 4–2 to their division rivals, the Oshawa Generals.[1] [21] The 67's reached the finals again in 1998, losing to the Guelph Storm in five games.[27]

Memorial Cup hosts, 1999

In 1999, 67's owner Jeff Hunt led the team's bid to host the 1999 Memorial Cup tournament. Despite the fact that in 1997 the tournament had been hosted across the river in Hull, he was able to convince the Canadian Hockey League (CHL) to host the event in Ottawa and guarantee his team a berth in the tournament. The 67's did not disappoint, as every game of the series was sold out. In the 1998–99 season, the 67's lost to the eventual OHL champion Belleville Bulls in the second round of the playoffs. As hosts, they still took part in the Memorial Cup tournament and faced the Bulls, the Calgary Hitmen of the WHL and the Acadie–Bathurst Titan of the QMJHL. The 67's beat the Belleville Bulls in the Memorial Cup semi-finals and went on to defeat the Calgary Hitmen in the final in a thrilling over-time game that saw Matt Zultek score the winning goal. Nick Boynton was named the tournament most valuable player.[27] [28]

Memorial Cup, 2001

After winning their fifth division title, the 67's were bounced in the second round of the playoffs by the Belleville Bulls in 2000. However, it was not long before the 67's went to the Memorial Cup again. Ottawa defeated the Plymouth Whalers in the league championship capturing their second J. Ross Robertson Cup. The 2001 Memorial Cup was played in Regina, Saskatchewan. Ottawa had tougher luck in this tournament, winning just one game in the round robin versus the hometown Regina Pats, then ultimately losing to Regina 5–0 in the tie-breaker game. In the 2002–03 season, the 67's reached the OHL finals again, but fell to the eventual Memorial Cup champions Kitchener Rangers in five games. Ottawa, which won the division in 2003–04, suffered a surprise first round defeat in the playoffs to the Brampton Battalion.[27]

Memorial Cup, 2005

The 67's finished in sixth place in the Eastern Conference in 2004–05, but had a veteran-laden team that managed an impressive playoff run. Ottawa upset the Barrie Colts, Sudbury Wolves and Peterborough Petes to reach the finals versus the London Knights. The 67's lost the OHL championship to the Knights, but qualified for the 2005 Memorial Cup by virtue of being the league finalists versus the Knights, who were also hosting the event. In the tournament, Ottawa faced the Knights, the Rimouski Océanic of the QMJHL, featuring Sidney Crosby, and the Kelowna Rockets of the WHL. The 67's won the longest ever game played in the Memorial Cup tournament, when they beat the Rockets in double overtime. Ottawa finished in third place in the round-robin, and then lost to the Océanic in the semi-finals.[27]

Championships

The Ottawa 67's have appeared in the Memorial Cup tournament five times, winning twice. Ottawa has also won the J. Ross Robertson Cup three times, won the Hamilton Spectator Trophy three times, and have won fourteen division titles, the most in the OHL.

Memorial Cup

  • 1977 Lost to New Westminster Bruins in finals.
  • 1984 Champions vs. Kitchener Rangers.
  • 1999 Champions vs. Calgary Hitmen.
  • 2001 OHL Representative in Regina, Saskatchewan.
  • 2005 OHL Representative in London, Ontario.

J. Ross Robertson Cup

Bobby Orr Trophy
Eastern Conference champions

  • 2001, 2003, 2005, 2019

Hamilton Spectator Trophy
First overall, regular season

  • 1977–78 93 points
  • 1981–82 96 points
  • 1996–97 104 points
  • 2018–19 106 points
  • 2019–20 101 points
  • 2022–23 107 points

Leyden Trophy
East Division champions

  • 1976–77 81 points
  • 1977–78 93 points
  • 1981–82 96 points
  • 1982–83 95 points
  • 1983–84 102 points
  • 1995–96 83 points
  • 1996–97 104 points
  • 1997–98 89 points
  • 1998–99 103 points
  • 1999–2000 91 points
  • 2002–03 98 points
  • 2003–04 71 points
  • 2009–10 82 points
  • 2010–11 93 points
  • 2011–12 88 points
  • 2018–19 106 points
  • 2019–20 101 points
  • 2022–23 107 points

Coaches

Brian Kilrea had a long term coaching relationship with the 67's. Kilrea led the team to three OHL Championships and two Memorial Cups. Kilrea briefly moved up to the NHL as an assistant coach with the New York Islanders from 1984 to 1986, and briefly retired for the 1994–95 season. Kilrea, also known as "Killer", has over 1,000 wins coaching junior hockey, all with the Ottawa 67's. He has been named the OHL Coach of the Year five times, and CHL Coach of the Year once in 1996–97. Kilrea was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2003.

On September 3, 2008, Kilrea announced that at the end of the 2008–09, he would step down from his head coaching position. He remained with the team as their general manager until the 2011–12 season, after which he was replaced in that post by head coach Chris Byrne.

Andre Tourigny won OHL Coach of the Year award in 2018–19 leading the 67's to a 50–12–6 record and a franchise record-breaking 106 points. Tourigny won a second consecutive OHL Coach of the Year award in 2019–20 going 50–11–1 in a shortened season and earning the CHL Coach of the Year in the process. Dave Cameron is the 67's most recent recipient of the award, taking home the honours after leading the club to their record setting 51-win season in 2022-23. He also won CHL Coach of the Year in that same season.

List of coaches with multiple seasons in parentheses.

  • 1967–1972 – Bill Long (5)
  • 1972–1974 – Leo Boivin (2)
  • 1974–1984 – Brian Kilrea (10, 31 total)
  • 1984–1985 – Cliff Stewart & Bob Ellett
  • 1985–1986 – Bob Ellett (2)
  • 1986–1994 – Brian Kilrea (8, 31 total)
  • 1994–1995 – Peter Lee
  • 1995–2009 – Brian Kilrea (14, 32 total)
  • 2009–2013 – Chris Byrne
  • 2014–2017 – Jeff Brown
  • 2017–2021Andre Tourigny
  • 2021–presentDave Cameron[29]

Players

Denis Potvin and Doug Wilson are the only Ottawa 67's alumni to be inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame as players.

Award winners

CHL Player of the Year

CHL Defenceman of the Year

CHL Top Scorer Award

Red Tilson Trophy
Most Outstanding Player

Eddie Powers Memorial Trophy
Scoring Champion

Jim Mahon Memorial Trophy
Top Scoring Right Winger

Max Kaminsky Trophy
Most Outstanding Defenceman

OHL Goaltender of the Year

Jack Ferguson Award
First Overall Draft Pick

Dave Pinkney Trophy
Lowest Team GAA

Emms Family Award
Rookie of the Year

F.W. "Dinty" Moore Trophy
Best Rookie GAA

Dan Snyder Memorial Trophy
Humanitarian of the Year

William Hanley Trophy
Most Sportsmanlike Player

Leo Lalonde Memorial Trophy
Overage Player of the Year

Bobby Smith Trophy
Scholastic Player of the Year

Ivan Tennant Memorial Award
Top Academic High School Player

Roger Neilson Memorial Award
Top Academic College/University Player

Wayne Gretzky 99 Award
Playoffs MVP

Retired numbers

NHL alumni

Yearly results

Regular season

Legend: OTL = Overtime loss, SL = Shootout loss

Games Won Lost Tied OTL SL Points Pct % Goals
for
Goals
against
Standing
1967–68546453--150.13910532910th OHA
1968–695420286--460.4262142538th OHA
1969–7054212310--520.4812132065th OHA
1970–716238186--820.6452962183rd OHA
1971–726333255--710.5632512164th OHA
1972–736341157--890.7063912433rd OHA
1973–747030319--690.4932932767th OHA
1974–757033307--730.5213793824th OMJHL
1975–766634239--770.5833312912nd Leyden
1976–776638235--810.6143482881st Leyden
1977–786843187--930.6844053081st Leyden
1978–796830380--600.4413193444th Leyden
1979–806845203--930.6844022882nd Leyden
1980–816845203--930.6843602642nd Leyden
1981–826847192--960.7063532481st Leyden
1982–837046213--950.6793952781st Leyden
1983–847050182--1020.7293472231st Leyden
1984–856620433--430.3262633766th Leyden
1985–866618462--380.2882743527th Leyden
1986–876633285--710.5383102803rd Leyden
1987–886638262--780.5913412942nd Leyden
1988–896630324--640.4852953015th Leyden
1989–906638262--780.5913202654th Leyden
1990–916639252--800.6063012804th Leyden
1991–926632304--680.5152802516th Leyden
1992–936616428--400.3032203108th Leyden
1993–9466332211--770.5832742292nd Leyden
1994–956622386--500.3792322766th Eastern
1995–966639225--830.6292582001st Eastern
1996–976649116--1040.7883201771st Eastern
1997–986640179--890.6742861721st Eastern
1998–996848137--1030.7573051641st East
1999–200068432041-910.6622691891st East
2000–01683321104-800.5592492012nd East
2001–02683620102-840.6032622182nd East
2002–0368441473-980.6993182101st East
2003–0468292694-710.5222382201st East
2004–0568342671-760.5512442102nd East
2005–06682931-53660.4852402444th East
2006–07683034-04640.4712422634th East
2007–08682934-23630.4632012373rd East
2008–09684021-52870.6402722312nd East
2009–10683723-53820.6032462191st East
2010–11684419-32930.6842781991st East
2011–12684020-53880.6472682161st East
2012–13681646-06380.2792083235th East
2013–14682339-33520.3822223085th East
2014–15683825-41810.5962392202nd East
2015–16683629-21750.5512342192nd East
2016–17682634-71600.4412212715th East
2017–18683029-72690.5072252604th East
2018–19685012-421060.7792961831st East
2019–20625011-011010.8152961651st East
2020–21000-0000.00000Season cancelled
2021–22682831-27650.4781992504th East
2022–23685112-321070.7872861711st East
2023–24683624-62800.5882532283rd East

Playoffs

Uniforms and logos

The 67's colours and original uniforms are based on those of the Ottawa Senators from the 1920s and 1930s. The team colours are red, white & black. The 67's dark jerseys, only slightly altered from the original design, have horizontal "barber-pole" stripes with the rectangular 67's logo. The 67's have also used a white background jersey with barber-pole stripes on the shoulders and sleeves.

An alternate jersey was unveiled in 2001. In keeping with their new "Hockey With Bite" slogan, it featured a logo with an angry puck, and a white background body with jagged red and black trim lines along the bottom and arms. It also had an opposite black background style with white & red trim. This third jersey was discontinued in 2012, but the "Angry Puck" motif still features on some 67's merchandise.

Mascots: Riley Raccoon, The Killer Puck

Arenas

The Ottawa 67's played the first half of their 1967–68 inaugural season at the Robert Guertin Arena in Hull, Quebec, until completion of the new arena at Lansdowne Park.

The Ottawa 67's have played at TD Place Arena since January 1968 when it was known as the Ottawa Civic Centre. The Arena has the largest capacity of all current OHL arenas.

The design of TD Place Arena is unique in that it is built into the side of a football stadium, and includes a large conference hall under its north stands. The seating in TD Place Arena is almost all on the north side and ends of the arena, with very few seats on the south side towards the football stadium.

TD Place Arena has played host to many OHL and CHL events including:

The Memorial Cup in 1972 and 1999.

The Chrysler Challenge Cup in 1986 and 1987.

The Hershey Cup in 2002.

The Ottawa 67's also play the occasional home game at the Canadian Tire Centre. Twice the 67's played host to an interleague game versus the Gatineau Olympiques of the QMJHL. On December 30, 2004, the arena hosted the largest crowd ever witnessed in the Ontario Hockey League as 20,081 people saw the Ottawa 67's defeated by the Kingston Frontenacs. This came as a result of the arena seating capacity being expanded by 600 seats.

In early February 2012, it was announced that the 67's would move to the Canadian Tire Centre for two seasons while renovations were finished at TD Place Arena. This came as a result of delays in construction originally planned to allow the 67's to stay at TD Place through the rebuild but now a closed site is needed to meet deadlines for NASL and CFL expansion.

See also

Bibliography

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: History of the Ottawa 67's . Ottawa 67's . CHL.ca . November 20, 2024.
  2. Web site: Goodbye to the Bob: Venerable Robert Guertin Arena will play host to one final exhibition game Saturday . Ottawa Sun . Warren . Ken . September 15, 2021 . November 20, 2024.
  3. Web site: Where it all began . Ottawa 67's . CHL.ca . December 26, 2017 . November 20, 2024.
  4. Web site: 1967-1977: The Start of Something Special . Ottawa 67's . CHL.ca . September 14, 2017 . November 20, 2024.
  5. Web site: 1971–72 . Peterborough Petes . CHL.ca . November 20, 2024.
  6. News: Bill Long taking 'long' look at GM post . The Ottawa Journal . Kealey . Clem . 23 . May 17, 1972 . November 22, 2024 . Newspapers.com . subscription.
  7. Web site: Two jobs open . The Ottawa Citizen . Peterkin . Ross . 19 . June 3, 1972 . November 22, 2024 . Newspapers.com . subscription.
  8. News: Leo Boivin will coach Ottawa 67's . 14 . Waterloo Region Record . The Canadian Press . June 19, 1972 . November 22, 2024 . Newspapers.com . subscription.
  9. News: Ottawa makes changes . The Standard . 35 . Gatecliff . Jack . April 25, 1974 . November 22, 2024 . Newspapers.com . subscription.
  10. News: Kilrea new 67's coach . The Ottawa Journal . 26 . Kealey . Clem . May 9, 1974 . November 22, 2024 . Newspapers.com . subscription.
  11. Web site: The Barber Poles’ Legacy: A look at retired 67’s names and numbers . Ottawa 67's . CHL.ca . November 2, 2017 . November 22, 2024.
  12. Web site: Ottawa 67's, 1977 to 1987: A golden decade for junior hockey in the capital . Ottawa Citizen . Campbell . Don . October 19, 2017 . November 22, 2024.
  13. News: Petes pull surprise . Windsor Star . The Canadian Press . 44 . April 24, 1987 . November 22, 2024 . Newspapers.com . subscription.
  14. Web site: Surprising Generals are team to beat . Kingston Whig-Standard . Scilley . Claude . 33 . September 20, 1978 . November 22, 2024 . Newspapers.com . subscription.
  15. Web site: 1977–1987: A force to be reckoned with . Ottawa 67's . CHL.ca . October 11, 2017 . November 22, 2024.
  16. News: 67s Kilrea to be replaced by Dutch national coach . Ottawa Citizen . Elliott . Bob . 1 . August 9, 1984 . November 22, 2024 . Newspapers.com . subscription.
  17. News: Ottawa 67s rebuild to defend Cup . Niagara Falls Review . 18 . The Canadian Press . September 1, 1984 . November 22, 2024 . Newspapers.com . subscription.
  18. News: 67's axe coach . Montreal Gazette . The Canadian Press . 28 . November 9, 1984 . November 22, 2024 . Newspapers.com . subscription.
  19. News: Ellett hands in resignation . Elliott . Bob . Ottawa Citizen . 62 . June 17, 1986 . November 22, 2024 . Newspapers.com . subscription.
  20. News: Kilrea retuns to coach 67's . Elliott . Bob . Ottawa Citizen . 1 . June 24, 1986 . November 22, 2024 . Newspapers.com . subscription.
  21. Web site: 1987–1997: The Middle Decade . Ottawa 67's . CHL.ca . November 3, 2017 . November 22, 2024.
  22. Web site: OHL Classics: Andrew Cassels . Sweetland . Jack . Ontario Hockey League . CHL.ca . January 16, 2021 . November 22, 2024.
  23. News: An end of an era as Kilrea steps down . North Bay Nugget . 13 . April 26, 1994 . November 22, 2024 . Newspapers.com . subscription.
  24. News: Kilrea to retire after more than 30 OHL years . Toronto Star . September 4, 2008 . November 22, 2024.
  25. News: Same hockey team, different market . Warren . Ken . 78 . Ottawa Citizen . June 11, 1998 . November 22, 2024 . Newspapers.com . subscription.
  26. Web site: Kilrea retires as Ottawa 67's GM . CBC Sports . The Canadian Press . August 17, 2011 . November 22, 2024.
  27. Web site: 1997–2007: A New Dawn . Ottawa 67's . CHL.ca . January 8, 2018 . November 22, 2024.
  28. News: A capital finish . . Spencer . Donna . The Canadian Press . May 25, 1999 . November 22, 2024 . Newspapers.com . subscription.
  29. Web site: Ottawa 67's Welcome Dave Cameron as 10th Head Coach in Team History . OurSports Central . July 21, 2021.